Israel-Gaza ceasefire live: Netanyahu delays ceasefire vote after accusing Hamas of backtracking on deal – UK Times

The Lebanese National News Agency has reported Israeli machine gun fire has been heard from a town in the south of the country.

Israeli tank movements in Maroun al-Ras were also reported by the state news agency.

After Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in October, the two countries reached a ceasefire agreement the following month, which involved a staged withdrawal of IDF troops from inside Lebanon over 60 days.

Maroun al-Ras is a municipality located near the UN-drawn blue line that, since 2000, has separated Lebanon and Israel.

During the darkest times, when we realised that aid and food weren’t coming, my family and I tried to sustain ourselves with anything we could find. We tried bird food and rabbit food and even tried to grind up cat food. In the first days of this famine, I saw people going to Nabulsi Square, where aid trucks full of wheat flour would distribute quantities that were only enough for a small fraction of us. I would see people dying in attempts to get some flour for their families, but some did come away with flour. At first, I thought that I wouldn’t die for a bag of flour. Later, I realised I was dying of starvation anyway.

Ammar Kaskeen writes from the north of Gaza:

The ceasefire in Gaza represents a “great victory” for the Palestinian resistance, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday, warning against any possible breach by Israel.

“The end of the war and the imposition of a ceasefire on the Zionist regime (Israel) is a clear and great victory for Palestine and a greater defeat for the Zionist regime,” a statement by the Guards said.

Iran and its allied non-state armed groups in the region such as Yemen’s Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah have supported Hamas throughout the conflict.

“The resistance remains alive, thriving, strong and has deeper faith in the divine promise of liberating the al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem,” the Guards said, warning against any breach of the ceasefire by Israel and saying they maintain field preparations to confront “new wars and crimes.”

The war in Gaza has “divided” communities in the UK, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, as he called the ceasefire deal “a moment to unite”.

He told MPs: “Among the victims was Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed alongside members of her family and the paramedics who came to rescue her. Among the victims were many journalists dedicated to documenting the horrors around them.

“Among the victims were aid workers dedicated to serving others, including British citizens John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby. I invite the House to join me in remembering them all. We mourn every innocent victim.

“Beyond Israel and Gaza, this conflict has brought yet more tensions and conflict into the wider region. Unprecedented Iranian attacks, a renewed conflict in Lebanon, Houthi strikes in the Red Sea and into Israel.

“At times too, our own communities, indeed this House, have been divided by this war. This, then, is a moment of hope for all of us, a moment to unite in support of this ceasefire.”

The president of Austria welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and hostage release deal after 15 months of war, and expressed hope that the suffering would now come to an end, in a post on social media on Thursday.

“After 15 months of despair and destruction, the announcement of a ceasefire in Gaza and an agreement to release hostages brings hope and relief that the suffering on all sides can now come to an end,” Alexander van der Bellen wrote on X.

David Lammy has urged Israel to back the ceasefire deal as an Israeli cabinet meeting to approve the agreement has been delayed following Israeli accusations of backtracking by Hamas.

The Israeli cabinet was set to meet today to ratify the truce – but Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has now stated this will not happen until the group backs down from what his office called a “last-minute crisis”.

Speaking in the House of Commons this morning, the UK foreign secretary said: “As the Israeli cabinet meets, I urge them to back this deal.

“Now is not the time for any backtracking. Both sides must implement each phase of the deal, in full, on time.

“The history of this conflict is littered with missed opportunities. It would be tragedy to let it slip from us – we must grab it with both hands.

“This is a chance not just for a ceasefire but for a lasting peace.”

He also reiterated the British government’s commitment to the peace process, saying: “The government is committed to sustaining momentum, however fragile a process it at first may be.”

He called for every hostage to be released and “every ounce of aid” apportioned to Gaza to reach those in need.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has welcomed Gaza’s ceasefire deal, saying Israel’s serious commitment to it should be monitored, according to a post by the Lebanese Presidency posted on X on Thursday.

The UK foreign secretary has invited the Commons to remember the hostages killed in Hamas’ captivity.

Addressing the House this morning, he said: “I invite the house to remember those murdered in captivity.

“May their memories be a blessing.”

David Lammy has told Gazans “we are with you” after 15 months of being “trapped in hell on earth”.

Speaking in the House of Commons this morning, the foreign secretary addressed all those in Gaza, saying: “We are with you as you begin to rebuild your lives.”

He described the level of suffering seen in the Strip over 15 months of war as “beyond belief”. He said: “Gazans have truly been trapped in hell on earth.”

Mr Lammy called the population in Gaza “a generation scarred by the savagery of war”.

Palestinian NGO Al-Haq has welcomed the “urgent relief” the announcement of a ceasefire deal promises the two million Palestinians in Gaza – but it warned “the fight is not over”.

The organisation urged the international community “to keep all eyes on Gaza”, citing famine, the destruction of Palestinians’ homes, poor sanitation, limited aid, forced displacement to crowded camps, a severely weakened healthcare system amid the tens of thousands injured and psychological trauma as just some of the issues facing the Strip’s population.

In a post on X on Thursday, Al-Haq said: “A ceasefire without accountability is meaningless. Every person in Gaza is in need… Unhindered access to critical, large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed immediately.”